Winners and Survivors
by tielan
Summary: There are no winners in Pegasus, only survivors. [COMPLETED]
1. Chapter 1

**NOTES**: Written for the Femgenficathon, with the prompt quoted below.**  
**

**Winners And Survivors**

**Part One **

_Winning may not be everything, but losing has little to recommend it_.  
Diane Feinstein

Around midday, Teyla realised that Ronon was changing his tactics.

Lieutenant Cadman was the one to bring her the news in her 'headquarters'. "He's trying to hold the north-eastern corridors," the young woman said. "We picked off a couple of his guys - two injuries, one kill - and Choi was injured. But they've got Dr. Cooper with them and he did something to the doors in that area, so it's pretty much a deathtrap."

Teyla regarded the map of Atlantis on the hanging screen before her, looking at the corridors her team had attempted to infiltrate. "He is holding a position," she murmured, noting the places where the marines had been cut off or baulked. Her finger reached up and traced the general area. "This set of rooms."

Laura Cadman moved around to see. "Why?"

The rooms were beyond the area designated as Ronon's headquarters, and too far out to be easily protected within the patrols her team-mate would have to maintain to ensure that Teyla's people did not get past him.

Teyla smiled at the other woman. "If I knew that, then I would not be wondering myself."

"If this was a siege, I'd say he was digging in for the long haul," said Laura, leaning her arms on the desk and propping her chin up on her hand.

"If this were a siege, he _would_ be securing his position," Teyla agreed, frowning a little as she looked from the screen to the Lieutenant. "But it is not a siege and I do not understand his actions."

She knew her team-mate well enough to know that he preferred action over inaction, attack over defence. And while Elizabeth's lessons in chess had inspired a certain cunning in him, it was Dr. Heightmeyer's observation that instinct was a hard master to throw off.

Ronon should be attacking, advancing upon the position her team had taken up and trying to reach through her defences. He was not, and Teyla was puzzled.

Unfortunately, she could not allow her puzzlement to occupy her too long. Her own team still had not achieved the goals laid out before them that morning as the participants gathered in the gateroom: acquire the flag and laptop assigned to each team, through means fair or foul, and break into one of the systems Dr. McKay had set aside for the purpose.

All to be done before the moon rose.

"Well," Laura said, smiling as she stood up, "you know him better than anyone else in the city, so if _you_ don't understand him..."

Teyla sighed slightly and, once again, regretted agreeing to Colonel Sheppard's idea.

She did not know what had possessed her to say 'yes' when he presented the plan to her. She did not know what had possessed _Ronon_ to say 'yes' when Colonel Sheppard presented the plan to him.

"Teyla?" As though her thought had conjured him, John's voice came through the earpiece. "How's it going?"

"I am presently questioning my sanity in ever agreeing to this," she replied, her voice light to let him know that she was joking. Or, at least, mostly joking.

"It's not that bad," he told her. "Wargames are fun. It's like a competition to see who's better."

"Perhaps it is only my perception," she said, keeping her voice mild so no offence should be taken, "But war is rarely a game."

There was a pause on the other end of the earpiece. "Has anyone explained to you the concept of practise makes perfect?"

"So these games are designed to make better war?"

"Something like that."

"I see." Teyla didn't ask what kind of 'better war' would be made by stealing a laptop or flag, or breaking into a computer system. Privately, she suspected that Colonel Sheppard simply wanted some entertainment and had somehow managed to coerce her and Ronon into providing it - along with their respective teams.

"Okay, well, I'll drag McKay out of his lab and send him as escort with food to your headquarters. Tell Cadman it's a personal favour."

Across the desk, Laura grinned. Teyla bit back a smile. While she did not fully understand Laura's pleasure in needling Rodney, she took a certain enjoyment in the results. The discombobulation of Rodney McKay did his ego little harm and often made him more liveable - at least for a while.

"The ready-to-eat meals?"

"Unless you want to risk the mess hall."

The mess hall was open and too easily accessible from several angles. "We will take the meals."

"Thought you would. Right. I'll drop in later to see how things are going. In the meantime, I'm going to have lunch. Sheppard out."

Laura grinned. "Best senior officer I've had yet."

Teyla smiled. The Lieutenant's enthusiasm made her sometimes seem far more youthful than she was. In fact, she was within a few years of Teyla's age, when one counted the differences between Earth's rotation and that of Athos. "One who provides a victim for your teasing?"

"Yep. So what are we going to do about Ronon and the area he's fortifying?"

Teyla considered the map of that section of the city. "Is it not possible to...tap in to the Atlantis videocameras and see what they see?"

"It's possible," Laura admitted. "Not SOP, though. And I don't know that there are any videocameras in that section of the city, anyway."

She discarded that idea.

Teyla leaned her elbows down on the desk, briefly feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before her - determine what Ronon was doing, and move to counter it. What came instinctively to Colonel Sheppard - the strategy and tactics of attack - was more difficult for her.

People were easy to understand. Teyla had dealt with people all her life as a member of a close-knit community. Athosian society's daily interactions were not as tricky to navigate as the ways of the Lanteans, true, but Teyla had learned to deal with the complex and confusing Lanteans, even if they had not always bothered to learn in response.

But military stratagems, the offensive strike against an enemy - those came less-practised to her. Before the Lanteans came to Athos, there had never been need of such knowledge. And now Teyla must draw upon the knowledge of others to bring her team - for the purpose of this exercise, her _people_ - to success over Ronon.

"We'll get there," said Lieutenant Cadman, comfortingly. "It might take a bit of time, but we'll work out what he's doing."

Teyla glanced up at the younger woman, smiling. "Thank you."

She turned her eyes to the map of the city yet again. Ronon's motives were still veiled to her, but there were other things to be done in the meantime.

Paging through the communication channels of her earpiece was the work of a moment. "Dr. Bedner, has there been any progress on the break-in?"

"Define progress," said the woman, sounding like someone had salted her tea. "We've managed to get through the first firewall, but McKay's a tricky bastard. He seems to have set up several firewalls - we've managed to get through two so far, that's two including the outer one - and they've got impressive learning curves, too. Have you ever seen a-- Well, no, actually you wouldn't have." The woman paused, "Sorry. I must sound really geeky."

"I did not understand much beyond that Dr. McKay has managed to set up several blockages one in front of the other, and you are working through them," Teyla confessed.

Dr. Bedner laughed. "Well, that's about it, really. Like you said, we're working on them. Did you have any preferences for how we should leave our calling card?"

This, she knew! "Have you ever been shown a picture of the Macandrian _hamali_?"

Laura glanced up from her laptop, her smile broad and slightly wicked. _She_ knew.

"Don't think I have."

"The Macandrian _hamali_ bears a genetic strain that is...quite close to your Earth lemon." It had never been ascertained that Rodney was allergic to the Macandrian fruit - he had refused all tests or attempts to determine if the _hamali_ induced the same reaction in him as lemon - but even the sight would gain the response they desired.

And Teyla loved the fruit, to the point where John would tell their team-mate that she had been eating _hamali_ just to watch Rodney edge away from her. Even when she reassured him that she had done nothing of the sort, he would keep his distance, using John or Ronon as a bulwark against possible allergens.

There was a brisk chuckle from Dr. Bedner. "Do you have an image of the thing on your laptop, ma'am?"

"I may have one somewhere..." While she had learned to navigate her way around the computer, she was not so sure of the filing system on the Air Force-issue laptop. At various times, Rodney had taken her laptop to do various things with it, or possibly _to_ it. Dr. Zelenka usually returned it, but Teyla had learned that things tended to move around - and that Rodney had a tendency to snoop.

"I've got one," Laura offered cheerfully. "You need it, Bedner?"

"Mail it over and we'll have McKay in mental anaphylaxis by the end of the day."

Teyla smiled as Laura began typing out the commands to attach a file to an email. "Let me know if there are complications, Dr. Bedner."

"Oh, believe me, if there are complications, you'll be the first to know. Anything you need us to keep in mind?"

"Lunch will be brought around in a little while," she said. "Ensure that the people with you have something to eat."

Bedner snorted. "We're not all obsessive, you know."

"I know." But it was a leader's job to both assign tasks and care for her people. "And yet I would feel better to know that you and those working with you are refreshed."

"Thanks, ma'am. We'll be good. I promise."

On that promise, Teyla changed the channel. "Captain Kilmer?"

"Ma'am?" There was the distant sound of weapons fire - not the stuttering jabber of projectile weaponry, but the energy-shot blasts of the guns the Lanteans called _intars_. "We're on retreat from objective one."

"Did you acquire the flag?"

"It was a setup," came the blunt reply. "We were trapped and ambushed."

Teyla closed her eyes and rested her hands on the desk. The prize had, indeed, been too easy. "How many?"

"Two men down."

The rules dictated that once a player was shot, the man or woman wasn't allowed back into the game until four hours had passed. The one exception was Teyla herself; if either leader was shot, the game ended. It was the primary reason she was at team headquarters overseeing the team efforts instead of out in the city.

"Who?"

"Sergeant Bergen and Lieutenant Derrick."

Teyla grimaced and made a note on the table of personnel along with the time. "Would you be willing to attempt another infiltration?"

"As long as it's not another trap," the Captain said with a touch of sharpness. More firing sounded in the background. A moment later, he added, "Sorry, ma'am."

"Return to headquarters, Captain," she said, keeping her frustration from her voice. "We are pulling back."

On the other end of the line, the silence was deafening. Teyla waited for the protest and was not disappointed. "Ma'am, is that wise?"

She reflected that if she had asked him to hold his position, he would have protested. Captain Kilmer was a recent arrival to Atlantis and less accepting of Teyla's influence in the city.

"Something is not right about this scenario," she said. "I would like--"

Her earpiece buzzed suddenly - an override signal.

"--Do you think you're doing?" Colonel Sheppard said clearly into her ear. Laura's head reared from studying her laptop, and Teyla realised this was an open channel. John was not speaking to her, or any of the people with the earpieces, but with someone near by him - and broadcasting it across the city. "The mess hall's out of bounds..."

The sound of the weapon discharge seemed overly loud in her ears. Not one of the _intars_ - a deeper, heavier noise; Ronon's personal stunner.

Laura's eyes were as huge as the moons of Metros at midsummer. "Tell me Ronon didn't just--"

There was a slight scraping sound, like the microphone edge was being shifted across a lightly-stubbled cheek as the person wearing it was moved. A moment later, her earpiece crackled. "Teyla?"

Teyla answered the call. Judging by the sound of it, she had little choice if she wished to know what was happening, shocked though she was. "Ronon. What are you doing?"

"Changing the rules," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice, clear as though he stood before her with the knowing grin on his lips. "_Ge lathayan mateda ko makaryan._"

Teyla's eyes narrowed as her mind provided the translation for his words. She responded without thinking through her words. "Hurt him, and seven years running from the Wraith will be _nothing_ in comparison!"

Across the room, Laura blinked, shocked.

Ronon barked with laughter. "His skin will be intact. His pride? I can't promise that." Whatever he thought of her warning, her team-mate sounded amused. "Catch you hunting."

And with that jaunty rejoinder, the communication between them shut down.

--

By the time Elizabeth called on a private channel, two minutes later, shock had given way to anger, and anger had given way to acceptance.

Ronon was right.

However, Teyla was still going to take him down.

"Teyla? Was this planned?"

"Not by me," she replied, her voice dry.

"All right." There was a pause as Elizabeth collected her thoughts. "Technically, Ronon's violated the rules of the game - or so Major Lorne informs me. We can call the game off--"

Teyla interrupted before the other woman got any further. "Elizabeth. While Ronon has broken the rules, he has made his point."

"Those words he said...they were Satedan?"

"Yes." Teyla sighed. "It is a Satedan proverb. _There are no winners. Only survivors._"

Elizabeth took a moment to work her mind around that. "You think he would hurt--?"

Teyla hastened to reassure her. "I do not. Ronon respects and admires Colonel Sheppard. However, I believe he feels that this exercise was unnecessary."

She didn't need to see Elizabeth's face to know that the other woman winced before she answered. "War isn't a game." There was an audible sigh before Elizabeth wryly said, "I guess he made his point. So you want to continue?"

"Ronon waited to issue a challenge before he and his team departed the mess hall with Colonel Sheppard. While I do not have to answer it..." Teyla paused, wondering if the expedition leader would understand. "It was in the nature of a dare."

"Catch me if you can?"

She knew of the phrase, even if it was not one she would have used. "Yes."

Silence from the other end of the communication device. Then, "Whatever happened to 'there are no winners, only survivors'?"

"I have lived in Atlantis several years now," Teyla said, a smile touching her lips. "You have corrupted me."

That elicited a laugh from Elizabeth. "All right. This exercise will continue, I suppose. Major Lorne will take Colonel Sheppard's place as military leader of Atlantis - at least until we get news back from Ronon about his intentions." There was another pause. "You're going to attempt a rescue?"

"Yes."

"As well as the other goals?"

Teyla bit back a smile. "If we must. It will give my team and Ronon's team something to do."

"All right, then. I'll make the announcement through the city that the game is still going. You're sure Ronon doesn't intend to harm him?"

"No more than would I," she said.

"All right. Let me know if there's anything I can help with."

Teyla ceased the connection, reflecting that there was very little Elizabeth could do at this moment. It occurred to her that she had not asked if Ronon had cleared this action with Elizabeth before he executed the capture. And while her team-mate was independent after many years of running alone, he was also trained military, accustomed to taking orders and seeking appropriate authority through the relevant chains of command.

She looked back up at the map of Atlantis, thoughtfully.

"Well, we know why he was digging himself in, now," Laura offered. "I've got Kilmer on the comms - he sounds grumpy."

Teyla paged through the channels again. "Captain Kilmer?"

"Ma'am, what's going on? We've just heard some falal about Colonel Sheppard being kidnapped by Dex."

"Ronon has managed to capture the Colonel as part of the game. It is now our job to rescue him."

Captain Kilmer snorted. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We're...rescuing Colonel Sheppard?"

"Yes."

"In addition to taking the flag and the laptop and the system break-in?" Teyla heard the mutter of one of the Captain's men in the background - quiet, but not so quiet that the microphone could not pick it up and transmit it. She narrowed her eyes, but did not comment on what was said.

After a moment, Captain Kilmer answered again. "All right, ma'am. We're returning to headquarters as ordered."

An idea came to her as she regarded the map once again. "Can the life-signs detector detect degrees of the Ancient gene?"

Laura frowned. "I heard that it could be configured to show Wraith wandering around the city. I'll find out who did it--"

"You even have to ask?" Rodney asked as he entered the room with several marines towing a large cart behind them. "Of course it was me!"

"Then you can do it again," Teyla said firmly, overriding Laura's instinctive retort.

"What? I'm not in this game for a reason, Teyla!"

"And Colonel Sheppard has been captured by Ronon," she told him, as Laura began calling in personnel to collect their food. "So the rules have changed, and I am co-opting you into this exercise."

A smile at the marines was her way of thanking them for bringing the food; she was otherwise distracted with Rodney.

"Are you going to hold me hostage, too?"

"Would you prefer that I did?" Teyla suggested. "I am sure the Lieutenant would hold an _intar_ on you if you require incentive."

"Yes, McKay, that _is_ an _intar_ in my pocket, and yes, I'm happy to see you," said Laura with a grin that was decidedly suggestive.

Teyla bit back a smile as Rodney went scarlet. "Wonderful." He looked grumpily from one woman to the other. "I was going to work over some of those power conversion routines Radek's been doing and now I'm stuck--"

"Oh, stop whining, McKay," said Laura. "Zelenka's equations are always fine."

"They are not fine! They never work--"

"Because you keep poking holes in his theories!"

"The theories never work in the first place--"

"He seems to manage to come up with ones that save your ass most of the time!"

Teasing was one thing, but amused or not, this was a little more than Teyla had bargained for. She was beginning to feel the stirrings of a headache. "That is _enough_!"

Both Rodney and Laura paused, surprised. They weren't the only ones. Beyond Rodney, Teyla could see the open mouths of the marines, staring at her in astonishment. It was rare that she raised her voice - only when she was exhausted, or when things were very stressful did she allow her control to slip so far.

Ronon's unexpected actions had jarred her more than she thought.

"Rodney," she said, keeping her voice firm and even, and her temper controlled, "please assist Lieutenant Cadman in the necessary adjustments to the life-signs detector."

"Or what? Cadman here will shoot me?"

"I would prefer not to go into the necessity of 'or what,'" Teyla said with the kind of calm that always put the Lanteans off. "But if you require the necessary goading, then, as said, Lieutenant Cadman will be pleased to provide the _kalten arhonne_."

Rodney would most likely remember the term - their team had spent an afternoon debating various colloquiallisms among each culture. While the Lanteans were more than willing to share their own phrases, both Ronon and Teyla had required a little more encouragement. The _kalten arhonne_ was the pointed end of a staff or branch, applied to the withers of a beast to get it moving. According to Colonel Sheppard, this was known to the Lanteans as a 'cattleprod.'

"It's not that much work, McKay," Laura said. "For a genius like yourself."

"You only say that when you want something," Rodney sulked. "You know I can't do any more than reconfiguring the computers to pick up the Ancient gene. It won't let you know the degree of strength of the gene. And it won't differentiate between the injected gene and the natural one."

Teyla nodded. "Make the changes, Rodney," she said. "Then you may leave at your leisure."

"That's what they all say," he grumbled. However, Teyla noticed that he did not complain once he'd appropriated Laura's computer.

She left him to it and turned to the distribution of the MREs to the people of her team. The meals were handed out and Teyla made sure that Laura got one herself.

"Ma'am?" Captain Kilmer and his group had returned. "What do you have for us?"

Teyla indicated the meals, noted who'd been left behind on sentry duty and did a mental calculation of the number of meals left, then slipped an MRE out from beneath Rodney's hand.

"Hey!"

"You may eat in the mess hall when you have finished the reconfiguration," she told him.

"Hah. That won't take very long."

"Then you are in no danger of starving." Teyla turned to Captain Kilmer. "You said Ronon set a trap?"

"We walked right into it - Falwell and Kemble were 'dead' a second in - direct hit on the torso. The rest of us have assorted 'injuries', but we backed out of there fast enough not to lose anyone else." The captain shrugged. "So, what's this idea you have about going after Sheppard? That's not in the rules of the game."

"Kidnapping the Colonel was not in the game," said Teyla. "Ronon has changed the rules on us, it is time for us to change the rules on him."

Captain Kilmer frowned. "Speaking frankly, ma'am, that's bullshit. If these were real wargames on Earth, Dex's actions would have ended the game by now."

Behind the captain, Teyla saw Cadman's eyebrows rise. It was the faintest of movements, nothing that any of Captain Kilmer's men could see. Rodney frowned but kept typing.

Teyla considered several answers before she replied. "This is not Earth, Captain, and the game is still in progress." She was careful to make the statement as neutral as possible. The Captain was difficult, but not an enemy. She did not intend to make him one, either. "Before I last spoke with you, it seemed that Ronon was settling himself in for a siege of some kind. We did not know why."

"And now we do." Captain Kilmer huffed loudly as he peeled open his lunch. "So what? If Colonel Sheppard got himself captured..."

"Oh, and as though Ronon didn't take him by surprise," said Rodney without looking up from his keyboard. "The man's sneaky."

Captain Kilmer gave the scientist a withering look. "If the Colonel was that good then he shouldn't have been caught out."

The tapping of keys on the keyboard was unceasing, but Rodney sniffed. "You obviously haven't been up against Ronon before."

"Uhuh." Captain Kilmer was neither impressed nor pleased by Rodney's interruption. He turned back to Teyla. "Look, ma'am, I think we should stick to the main goals. It's unfortunate that Sheppard let himself get captured, but that's not in our objectives for this war game. That means getting hold of the flag and the laptop and leaving the hackers to do their hacking job."

"Which, I might remind you, I am under no requirement to assist you with," Rodney added.

"I would not have asked you, Rodney," Teyla said, her voice quietly emphatic enough to warn him against another interruption. "Please continue, Captain."

"Actually, that was it, ma'am," the captain said, shuffling his food around the MRE container. He still hadn't started his lunch. "In a war game, you follow the objectives - getting the items we've been assigned to get. Chasing shadows is a job for Special Ops, and that's not in my training."

Teyla nodded, accepting his estimation. She disagreed that John's rescue was not an objective of the exercise, but now was not the time to press the point. "While you are eating lunch, Captain, please study the layout of Ronon's forces and let me know your recommendations for dealing with them when you are done."

"Yes, ma'am."

Teyla turned to distribution of the food among her personnel. If Captain Kilmer was best at direct confrontation, then that was where he would be best applied. An axe could not be used as a skinning knife and she did not intend to abuse either.

Still, as she made sure that everyone was fed, and that Rodney did not steal someone else's, her mouth thinned with quiet determination.

Ronon would not know what hit him.

- **TBC **-


	2. Chapter 2

**Winners And Survivors**

**Part Two**

It was nothing on which she could put her finger, no reason for her to feel that this was a mistake.

Her team were, by all accounts, quite successful.

Rodney had configured the life-signs detector, and it showed at least one person with the Ancient gene placed unmoving in one of the central rooms of Ronon's headquarters. With some careful planning by Captain Kilmer, and keeping in mind the structure and cross-structure of the city, Teyla's team had boxed Ronon's team into his headquarters.

Now, according to Captain Kilmer, it was merely a case of picking them off until there was time and space to take the fort.

Teyla thought they were succeeding. This small group, originally of eighteen, now reduced to twelve, had held this corridor for the last twenty minutes, carefully counting the number of opponents as they were reduced one by one.

It was a risk to be out here, but she owed it to her people. Laura had argued about her vulnerability. Teyla had pointed out the change in rules. Their sole objective was no longer the original intentions laid out this morning; she intended to go after Ronon herself. To do so, she must be in a position to take advantage if it was presented.

And advantage was rarely presented from behind.

Still, as Teyla set her shoulder against the wall and waited for the break in _intar_ fire that would give this group an opportunity to restart their offensive, the _wrongness_ of the situation jarred her.

Dr. Beckett had once suggested that what he considered her extraordinary skill at fighting was an extension of her ability to sense the Wraith. "_You're not telepathic, I think, but your sense of people is what gives you the edge in a fight._"

As she listened to the fire up and down the corridor, Teyla did not know about her 'sense of people'. She did know that things were not right - that this course of action was not gaining her team any advantage. It was not something she could prove, had Rodney required a reason for it, but she knew it was so.

She tapped her headset on. "Captain?"

"I-7 is clear, ma'am. They've retreated and we're holding it. Headcount stands at fifteen, not including injuries."

Teyla was impressed. So far, the group under direct command of the captain had suffered the least 'casualties'. "Are there any captures?"

"None, ma'am. Sergeant Donovan said something about one of the rooms along this corridor 'leaking' into another."

"Leaking?"

Sergeant Donovan provided the explanation in Captain Kilmer's background. Apparently, during the storm, that section of the city had sustained damage, to the point where the integrity of some of the walls had given way. There was no reason to repair them, so the damage had remained. And the gaps were large enough for people to slip through and escape.

"Ma'am, I'll need two from each of the other groups to help hold the corridor while we press forward." It was not a request, but neither was it quite a demand.

"I will ask for volunteers," she said, nodding at one of the technically-minded sergeants, who started contacting the others of their team. "If they are hard-pressed, then there may not be personnel spare among the attacking groups--"

"If we don't hold this corridor, then anyone in Dex's group with the faintest particle of strategy in their training is going to double-back and cut us off, ma'am."

Teyla waited a moment for the sergeant to take the report from the others and give her the response - a shake of the head. "We lack the personnel to spare you from those pressing the attack," she said. "However, Lieutenant Cadman has just reported that there are personnel whose tasks are completed, who have little to do."

"Those guards are needed at--" Captain Kilmer broke off. "You want me to take _scientists_ into a war zone, ma'am?"

The term 'scientists' did not wholly encompass the skills of the personnel in question. A handful were military - if not commonly 'in the field'. "They are weapons-competent, captain."

"Ma'am, if those civilians are weapons-competent then I'm the Queen of Sheba!"

The sergeant communicating with the other groups snorted and muttered, "He'd better find a coronet, then. At least two of the scientists coming in were born and bred on a ranch. I wouldn't want to face _them_ down the barrel of a gun. And, ma'am, the other groups report that they're wedged or without the spare personnel. He's going to get scientists or nothing."

Teyla nodded. On one hand, she regretted what she was about to say. On the other, the captain seemed oddly belligerent about this issue. "Captain, there are presently no personnel to assist you but those I have suggested. You will receive weapons-competent support, if not military-trained. If you have concerns over their tactical skills, then perhaps they might be partnered with someone in your group who possesses those skills."

On the other end of the channel, silence lingered. Then, "Yes, ma'am." And there was a bite to the words sharp enough to make those around Teyla blink in surprise.

She did not comment on it. "Have you seen any sign of Ronon?"

"No, ma'am."

Teyla nodded, almost to herself. "Thank you."

The communications sergeant regarded her as she terminated the call and stood. "Ma'am?"

Air was cool and refreshing in her lungs as she inhaled deep. "Something is not right," she said. "Please call in to the other two groups and ask if they have seen or heard Ronon since we began this attack."

With a quick, querying gaze, the sergeant did so, snapping out words in a manner that was brisk but not unkind. "Negative, ma'am."

As Teyla had thought. "I am returning to headquarters," she said. "Captain Kilmer will continue to oversee this operation."

She saw the quick glances exchanged between them, knew that they were wondering what had changed. But the sergeant only said, "Yes, ma'am."

As she ran through the corridors, she kept an eye out for any sign that Ronon's patrols might have eluded Captain Kilmer's group and switched to a channel that Dr. Bedner had encoded for this exercise. "Laura?"

"Teyla? How's the siege going?"

"It goes well."

"But?"

"But there is no sign of Ronon."

"Maybe he's hiding?"

Teyla shook her head, once again forgetting that her conversation partner could not see her. "Ronon does not like inaction. When patience is required, he will exercise it. But if it is not, he will be in the fray." Seven years had ingrained movement into Ronon's habits, as if he had not been a man of motion in the first place.

"You think he's got Sheppard holed up somewhere else?"

"That is what I would like to know." Teyla moved through the corridors, turning once when she saw a shadow of movement. It was only a scientist - one of those who had chosen to stay out of the conflict - and she turned back. "These devices we wear for communication - Rodney has explained a little of it--"

"He condescended to tell you?"

"It was very condescending," Teyla said, smiling. "But what he said... There is something that...indicates not only what is being said into the device, but also who should receive the words?"

"A new way of describing it," Laura said, "But yeah, that's the gist of it. The comms send out signals: both the signals that make up our words and signals about the messages being sent, including which device the message is meant--" She stopped in what Teyla supposed was astonishment. "You want us to triangulate Ronon's position based on the transmission from his headset?"

Teyla had no idea what 'triangulating' was, but she guessed that Laura had realised her intent. "If you mean that I wish to find where Ronon is, then, yes."

"Wow." Laura paused. "That's... That might be a workable idea. Hang on. I know a bit about the systems, but not half as much about these comms devices as other people around here. Let me go grab one of them."

By the time Teyla had reached the designated headquarters of her team, there were four people clustered around one of the desks, gabbling at each other in incomprehensible terms. She looked to Laura to see if the other woman understood.

"It's confusing me, too," Laura admitted. "And I'm good with computers. Just not this good! Although don't ever tell Rodney I said that!"

Teyla felt laughter well up within her. "It is not your specialty," she pointed out. "So, you believe the idea might work?"

"Oh, it'll work," said one of the techs, glancing up from his computer with gleeful enthusiasm. "We're going to have to make some modifications to one of the headsets, though, stripping out the message signal and leaving the metadata behind. Then we'll need to send a signal that will make his headset send back a signal that the transmitters in the city can pick up, and with a bit of adjustment, the transmitters will let us know exactly where he's holed up." The guy paused at the end of his stream of speech, looking a little embarrassed. "You didn't understand a word I just said, did you?"

This time the laughter bubbled out, too strong for her to suppress. "I understood that you can locate Ronon, Dr. Metcalfe. That is all I wished to know."

"Right." The scientist - he could not be much older than she - ran a hand through his hair, his face and ears pink with embarrassment. "Uh, so, we'll have that, uh, for you...well, hopefully in the next, uh, hour, Ms. Emmagen."

"Just Teyla," she told him. "And thank you." She made sure that her gaze encompassed all four technicians so Dr. Metcalfe was not unduly embarrassed

They shrugged off her thanks and went to work.

Several hours was longer than Teyla liked. It was midafternoon, tending towards sunset, and the day was mostly gone. They would have some time after the sun set - the game was to play out until the rise of the moon, a little while into the night - but not as much as she liked. The original plan had been for Colonel Sheppard to call the game to a stop, but with his capture, it would most likely be Major Lorne who determined the ending.

Ronon had not stuck to the original plan.

Exasperation rose, mingled with admiration. She understood his irritation with the game - the fight against the Wraith was not anything they had ever taken lightly - but she would not have reacted as he had.

It had, however, made things interesting. So perhaps she would forgive him.

Perhaps she would outclass him instead.

In the meantime, she still had a campaign to oversee and people to manage.

Captain Kilmer reported steady progress, and if he occasionally sounded annoyed to Teyla's ears, she did not comment on it, but encouraged his progress. Fractious scientists quibbled and squabbled, and Teyla gently drew out their anger until they were ready to return to work.

And nearly an hour later, Dr. Bedner brought the news that they'd succeeded in reaching the server Rodney had assigned them to hack. She brought her laptop over to show Teyla and Laura.

Dr. Bedner and her team had been busy. As well as breaking into the computer, they had put together a design for a computer site. "The idea in hacking," Dr. Bedner explained, "is to go into a set location and...cause mischief. In some cases, it involves changing the site details, setting the server to redirect elsewhere, or just bringing down the system. In this case, there's a website attached to the server we hacked, and we're going to replace the site McKay designed with our own." She sounded gleeful as she showed the design. "Ta-da!"

Teyla took one look and laughed.

Macandrian _hamali_ decorated the background, an image repeated over and over, while little spinning cross-sections of lemon formed the markers beside the various groups of words. In one corner of the screen, a _hamali_ sprouted legs and arms and waved them about in a bizarre little dance, while in the other corner, a lemon - similarly limbed - mirrored the _hamali_.

"It is...most decorative," she said, smiling.

"And guaranteed to send McKay into spasms," Laura added.

"Not much of a challenge," Dr. Bedner murmured, grinning at her work. "We decided to layer the changes - we'll put our change on the bottom, do a bit of creative timestamping so it's the backup, then put a copy of the original page on top. Unless McKay goes in to check the actual server, he won't notice it's not there and we'll leave a trojan on his server to pick up the 'backup' files a little while after sunset. _Voila_!"

"Well done," Teyla told the scientist. "And thank you."

The woman grinned. "We get a win out of this, too, you know."

"Uh, Ma'a-- Ms. Emmage-- Er. T--Teyla?"

"Dr. Metcalfe?"

"The modifications are done." Dr. Metcalfe scrubbed a hand through his hair, spiking it even further. "We sent out a test signal and we've managed to triangulate Dex's headset. You're right. He's nowhere near where we thought he was."

Teyla nodded. "You are sure?"

"We triangulated Sheppard's headset, too," added another of the scientists. "Same location. Or within five metres, give or take."

"Show me." She indicated the screen, and Dr. Metcalfe transferred the data to whatever device controlled the screen.

"Here's Dex's signal." The pulsing dot was in the middle of the screen, and a moment later another appeared close by. "That's Colonel Sheppard's. In the broader scheme of things..." The view drew back, showing several wings of the city and Dr. Metcalfe pointed at one side of the screen. "Here's the section of the city Kilmer's been trying to take."

There was significant distance between the two areas. "That's a pretty impressive decoy," Laura commented.

"Dex is a pretty impressive guy," Dr. Bedner said.

Teyla pressed her lips into a line, trying not to smile at the faint innuendo of the programmer. "It was a successful ploy," she said, acknowledging that.

"But why take him at lunch, then? Why not at dinner? I mean, holding onto someone for eight hours is more difficult than holding them for, say, three."

Instinct answered, "Opportunity. There was opportunity and Ronon took it." _That_ was like her team-mate; to recognise a moment and seize it when it was presented.

"Guess Atlantis taught him a few things," said someone else.

"Oh, I don't know," Laura commented. "Dex wasn't a _completely_ ignorant savage before Atlantis took him in and straightened him out."

Teyla's mouth twitched at the other woman's deadpan tones, but didn't join in as one of the technicians began arguing the degree of influence Atlantis had exerted on Ronon - or on her. She was too busy trying to envision the rooms where Ronon held his captive.

It was difficult. Atlantis was built in repeating patterns, the design of the rooms echoing each other in size and form. She recalled a conversation - or lecture - from one of the scientists regarding the design of the city back in the earliest days of her time in the city. Teyla remembered the lecture as much for what the scientist had said as for what she learned not to mention around people whose verbal tendencies were as endless as the flow of the river out of the mountains in the spring.

Dr. Metcalfe came alongside her. "You're really going to try this rescue thing?"

"I should at least attempt it," she said, smiling, before quoting one of her uncle's sayings. "'There is no gain in making no effort.'"

The scientist ran a hand through his hair. "Hm. Well," he murmured, "that's the south-western corridors - the I5..." He glanced sideways. "It's a highway - a path for cars - our 'jumpers--"

Teyla interrupted him, striving to keep the impatience from her voice. "I have seen pictures. I am aware of the names given the thoroughfares through the city."

"Yes. Of course." He went a little pink. "Um. Well, the south-western wing of the city is pretty much mirrored by the I25 - the western wing."

"And there is a connecting corridor close by," Teyla said with dawning understanding. She looked from the screen to him, pleased. "Well thought of, Doctor."

He mumbled something about it being no trouble, and Lieutenant Cadman broke away from her argument with the other technician. "Teyla?"

Teyla smiled. "I have an idea."

- **TBC **-


	3. Chapter 3

**Winners And Survivors**

**Part Three  
**

"If it wouldn't get me court-martialled, I'd kill Colonel Sheppard for showing you _Spiderman._"

Teyla managed a smile in spite of the uncomfortable awareness that there was a long way between her and the ground. She did not mind heights when there was little chance she might fall.

'Standing' against one of the outside walls of the city, waiting for one of the two marines who had offered to accompany her on this rescue, it was more difficult to believe that the harness might not give way, that the ropes might not part, that the knots might not come undone, leaving her to plummet to her death.

Teyla's mind knew it was not so - she had done this before, although never above such a height, but her body was tense, and her efforts to loosen the tightness of her grip on the rope were unsuccessful. What her mind recognised, her body would not.

"I believe it was _Mission Impossible_," she told Lieutenant Cadman.

"Even worse," Laura retorted. "Okay. Kilmer says he can do a temporary retreat to lure them out, then renew attacks when you're in position. I think he's pissed off that you worked this out, actually; he sounds like someone made him eat a lemon whole and didn't give him a lollipop afterwards. You're sure you want to do this?"

The question had been frequently asked in the last two hours since Teyla had formulated her plans.

"I believe it is best that I deal with Ronon," Teyla said after a moment's pause. "His challenge was to me."

"You don't have to out-testosterone the boys, you know," said Laura. "The marines could get the Colonel out."

Teyla was not sure she could explain it to Laura. "I am the leader," she said. "It is... I will not send my people to do what I will not - unless it is something I cannot do."

There was more to it than that, of course.

Ronon had challenged _her_ - and Teyla was not so prideless as to not feel both admiration and exasperation with her team-mate. It was not so obvious as Colonel Sheppard's near-constant jockeying with Ronon, the competition that Rodney termed 'reaching for the tape measure' - no, Teyla felt no need to compare herself _that_ way. But she and Ronon were the only two natives of Pegasus in the city; in setting them up as the leaders of their respective teams, John had - intentionally or otherwise - put them in comparison as never before.

John would say that there was nothing wrong with a little competition. And Teyla agreed - but was not going to lie down without a fight.

She _did_ wonder if it was foolishness to be attempting this, as others had already said, some with blunt assurance, some with more subtle queries. In the end, she had come up with the plan, and she would carry it out herself.

"Well, I tried," the other woman sounded resigned. "But if you get yourself killed doing this, they're going to kill me. Are you _sure_ you don't want to let Dr. Weir know?"

Misgivings assailed her once again. She would feel better letting Dr. Weir know what was happening - but to do so might alert Ronon to her actions, and she could not afford that. "You will simply have to prevail upon Carson to patch you up," Teyla told the other woman, her tone light.

"Why does everyone say that?" Laura complained, but with good humour. "I'll have your diversion in place when you give the signal. That's something _else_ they're going to kill me for, you know."

"You did suggest it," Teyla pointed out.

"Which is why you should never have agreed to it."

Teyla decided she would never understand the constant put-downs in which the Lanteans engaged. There was modesty, and then there was foolishness. "As the leader, I would have to make some decision about our course of action," then, because she was feeling mordant and determined not to show it, she added, "If I should die from this course of action, then I will take full responsibility."

"Comforting."

Beside her, the marine neatly lowered himself into place, and Teyla took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for what was to come. "Beginning our descent."

"Okay. Cadman, out."

Sergeant King nodded at her, then began his descent, his toes almost dancing on the solid walls of the city.

Teyla breathed out and pushed off.

During one of her first attempts at this, she had forgotten to hold her rope firmly and plummeted eight yards before her fingers regained a grip on the cord and she halted her plunge. Once the marines were assured that she was uninjured - but for the burn across her palm - there was laughter and joking, but the lesson had been salutary. It had even been beneficial for her social status; the loss of dignity had made the marines a little less wary around her - at least when Sergeant Bates was not present.

The wind around the city edged beneath her jacket and through her trousers and her fingers rapidly began to lose feeling as she let the cord slide slowly around the metal loop in her harness and moved down the wall. She was neither as fast, nor as sure as either of the marines, but she could do this.

That did not mean she liked it.

With the solid base of the city beneath her feet again, Teyla exhaled softly. Sergeant King caught her eye and smirked before he tapped out a code on his microphone, signalling to Laura that they'd reached the balcony.

The return code was sent, and while they waited for Laura to put the next part of the plan into action, they divested themselves of the harness, carefully muffling the noises of the few metal parts. Corporal Trujo stood watch by the door, listening for the sound of sentries along the corridor. When he put up one hand in warning signal, Teyla and the Sergeant froze.

Footsteps were audible along the corridor, accompanied by voices. Teyla began to reach for the _intar_ holstered under her arm, then paused with the harness still in her hand. Her careful breathing - and that of the Sergeant and the Corporal - sounded harsh and loud, even though it would have been barely audible over the wind. They had planned this mission as carefully as possible, but there was no way to be sure of what measures Ronon had taken to protect his prize.

Then, distantly, there was the sound of doors opening and closing, and shouts and cries of alarm from not only the corridor beyond but all over the city. Footsteps pounded back and forth, and voices sounded across communications channels asking what was happening.

Standing with her shoulder pressed up against the balcony wall, Teyla's eyes narrowed as she heard the distinctive rumble of Ronon's voice, not more than several rooms away. At the door, Corporal Trujo glanced at her and grinned. She arched a brow at him for a few moments, warning him against ebullience, before it relaxed into a smile, safe in the knowledge that she'd been right.

It was impossible to hear exactly what was being said, but she suspected that it was a demand from Elizabeth regarding what was happening to doors all through the city. Every inside door in the entire city would act up for the next couple of minutes, randomly opening and closing at the whim and command of Dr. Bedner.

And it would continue to do so until Teyla and the two marines were in the nearby storage room.

She was not worried about Elizabeth's enquiries. For just this purpose, they had recorded a number of possible answers to any question the city's leader might ask and stored them on Laura's computer. If the questions could not be satisfactorily answered, then the headsets would experience a sudden technical difficulty.

Timing was the key. That, and a small amount of good fortune.

Carefully, Teyla lowered the remainder of the harness to the ground and stepped out of the straps. Any sentries set to watch the corridor by Ronon were long since gone, but it would not hurt to be careful and quiet. Beyond her, Sergeant King was doing the same.

A set of taps came through her headset - signal to move out.

They moved swiftly through the hallway, trusting that Laura and Dr. Metcalfe had judged the moment right, that no unexpected and unwelcome surprises awaited them. And when Sergeant King tapped out the 'all clear' signal, the door of the storeroom slid closed behind them, smooth as water over her skin.

Beyond the room, other doors opened and closed, just as randomly as they had apparently begun. Now, however, they would slow down, and one by one, the doors would stop. They were no longer needed.

And here began the difficult part of the rescue.

Laura had stared, as had the marines in the room. Dr. Metcalfe had started to ask if she was crazy, then broke off mid-sentence with glowing embarrassment. Dr. Bedner had given one brief squawk of laughter. "_You know, that's crazy enough that it just might work_!"

Teyla checked that her vest pockets were secure, that her weapon was firmly strapped in and her headset firmly attached. It would be embarrassing if she were to get so close to her goal, only to be caught at the betraying clatter of something she was carrying.

This storeroom, like many others in the city, was filled with crates. They piled nearly to the ceiling. It was perfect.

With a quick glance at the marines - Corporal Trujo grinned and winked, heating her cheeks a little - Teyla began climbing up the boxes, checking the stability of each set as she gained height, until she was nearly at the ceiling.

Dr. Metcalfe had noted it was reassuring to know that the Ancients were a lot like their descendants in some respects. "_It's impractical to have the ceiling of one level perfectly flush with the floor of the next. Although Ancient technology tend to use node transmissions rather than wires, there are still air ducts, and the light fittings need to go somewhere. And then there's the matter of maintenance_..."

The ceiling section she pushed against was light and moveable - an access hatch to the ceiling space. Although the panel was somewhat awkward to shift, Teyla moved slowly and carefully to get it out of the way. They had checked this over at the western wing first - Dr. Metcalfe's 'I-25' - and since this set of rooms, and the other were structurally very similar...

Teyla took a deep breath, then winced at the odd melange of scents that poured out of the enclosed space. It would not be pleasant, but she was in no danger of suffocating.

Careful pressure on a button at her shoulder switched on a tiny flashlight that was to be her only source of light in the ceiling cavity. Then, with a brief smile for the two marines who waited below, Teyla eased herself into the darkness.

Within a few seconds, her fingers were covered in dust, dirt, and small particles of fluff. Whatever wonders of technology the Ancestors had developed, it seemed that they, too, had been subject to the collection of dust in spare spaces.

Teyla ignored it and moved carefully through the ceiling cavity.

"_The ceiling's mostly solid,_" Dr Metcalfe had informed her. "_But there are maintenance panels all over the place - most of them disguised quite cleverly._" The scientist had shown her the placement of the panel for the room in which Ronon was allegedly keeping Colonel Sheppard and Teyla observed and nodded, trying to imagine the way her team-mate would be most likely to arrange the room. "_Ultimately, nothing is going to beat a good look at the room. But you're probably not going to get that before Dex starts shooting at you... Are you **sure** you want to be doing this?_"

So far, 'want' had not been a primary reason for any of Teyla's actions this day.

Of more concern to her than the stability of the ceiling was any possible noise she might make. Scraping noises would alert Ronon to the fact that Teyla was on his trail, and she intended to take him by surprise.

As she drew closer to the panel she wanted, easing a careful pathway through the dust and fittings of the ceiling, Teyla began to hear voices - familiar ones.

"...Baker's coming along well."

Ronon snorted. "He needs to stop anticipating getting hurt."

"The way you smack him around, he expects it."

"Do _you_ tense when you see a blow coming?"

"Sometimes." John sounded casual, unlike a prisoner. Then again, Teyla reflected as her fingers moved through dust and fluff, unlike the last time one man had been prisoner to the other, Ronon was now familiar to John, and this was only a game.

"You didn't when I shot you."

"You had the weapon on me," came the reply. "I wasn't going to dodge the shot from that distance."

"I wouldn't have missed from _any_ distance," Ronon retorted.

Teyla could hear the grin in his voice and smiled in spite of her position in the dark as John replied, "Don't sound so smug about it." There were times when she thought her team-mates - Colonel Sheppard, Rodney, and Ronon - were nothing more than little boys showing off.

By the glow of the tiny flashlight, she identified the panel she wanted, and carefully eased herself through the dust and fittings, moving towards it at a slow pace and ignoring the gentle ache of her muscles as she went. Occasionally, her earpiece would transmit two taps, and each time, she tapped it twice in response - all clear, still moving.

The conversation in the room below continued, with neither man giving any verbal sign that they were aware of her progress above them.

When she reached the position of the moveable panel, her body was delicately tense, aware that the final moments of her coup were coming. In the dim light, Teyla studied the panel she was to move, noting the placement and the dust. A few gentle swipes dislodged some of the debris and she carefully blew it away from the edges. It would do her no good to open the panel only to be betrayed by falling dust.

Carefully, she eased her fingertips beneath the material and raised it a crack, putting pressure on her elbows to gain the leverage needed to raise it up.

A sliver of light, colour, shape, and movement showed her the room below.

Both men were seated on chairs in the room - the comfortable, lounging type that Dr. Heightmeyer preferred for her sessions. From the way Colonel Sheppard shifted, it seemed Ronon had put some form of restraint on him - not uncomfortable but limiting.

She would deal with that when the time came.

In the meantime, she let the panel slip back into place and tapped out a code across her headset. A moment's pause, then the pattern tapped back. Laura had received her message.

Once again, Teyla eased the panel up, letting the fingers of her left hand take the strain of holding up the panel as her right hand stole to her weapon.

Four measured taps came across her headset. A pause. Then three taps. Pause. Two. Pause. One.

The explosion didn't sound loud in the ceiling space, but it was loud enough for both men to leap to their feet - John nearly fell over since his ankle was 'chained' to the leg of the chair on which he sat with wirelike restraints. He righted himself after a moment, and waved the other man on. "Report."

With only a glance back, Ronon strode to the window.

Both men were facing away. Teyla flipped up the cover with a twist of the wrist that made her wince as she pushed the panel aside. It wasn't noiseless, but it was covered by the secondary explosion Laura had set up - more noise than damage, more light than power.

She began to move.

Then her headset blared with Rodney's annoyed tones. "Cadman, what the hell is going on?"

No more than a faint tinny sound, it was still enough to alert the men below that they were no longer alone. Ronon was already turning, reaching for his stunner.

Teyla's weapon was already in her hand.

She aimed and fired, once, twice, three times. She did not miss.

Ronon's collapse was slow and inevitable, like watching a distant rockfall drag the cliff with it. He collapsed, temporarily winded.

She fired two more shots into him. He was both too canny and too resilient to remain down. Even with the extra shots, Teyla knew he would not remain so for long.

Holstering her weapon, she slipped her legs over the edge of the hole and paused.

Her original plan had included her swinging perhaps five yards to the floor - the distance between ceiling and floor in the other wing. The layout of the room was the same; the dimensions were not. Reality involved a drop that was closer to seven or eight.

"Teyla?" She barely heard John's startled query; her attention was focused on Ronon. A minute at most, and he would be awake again, and more than capable of fighting her.

She had no choice.

Teyla reached for the opposite edge of the opening and swung down, her fingers protesting as they tensed for grip the material of the ceiling structure. Her fall had less control that it should and she landed hard, her ankles and knees protesting the distance, but otherwise uninjured.

Vaguely, she was aware of more _intar_ fire, the sound was diminished but still distinguishable through the wall. The two marines had apparently broken from their confinement in the storeroom upon the explosion.

Two strides past John, and her hand dipped into her pocket, seeking the items Dr. Bedner had acquired. She had not asked to what use the restraints were put, although all the Lanteans had choked upon their procurement. It was sufficient that they were of use.

She kicked Ronon's gun away before he could reach for it again. The first cuff snapped closed about his wrist and locked with a click. With a yank, she dragged his limp wrist into the second one and snapped it closed.

"Should I even _ask_ what you're doing with a pair of propylene-lined cuffs that fit Ronon's size?" Colonel Sheppard asked from behind her. Teyla held up the second pair of cuffs and listened to him choke. "Okay, so I shouldn't."

"You should not." The ankle-cuffs were larger and more difficult to fasten, but the second cuff was in place and Ronon still had not woken. Perhaps the _intar_ fire was more damaging than she had thought? Or maybe his physiology was not accustomed to it?

He was still breathing, but he was not moving, and Teyla, while concerned, was distrustful of his stillness. She kept a wary eye on him as she paged Lieutenant Cadman.

"Laura?"

"Teyla? You're through?"

Teyla glanced around, then reached for her weapon just as the doors slid open and Sergeant King and Corporal Trujo came in.

"All clear, ma'am."

"Thank you," she told them before she turned back to Laura. "Ronon is disabled," she said, "send reinforcements. And Colonel Sheppard--"

"Colonel Sheppard appreciates the rescue, but wants out of these restraints sometime this century," John said, leaning in to project his voice through Teyla's headset.

Teyla gave him a look, and he widened his eyes, innocent as a child caught before a cooling tray that was missing sweet buns. Then lifted his wrists, displaying the plastic restraints Ronon had turned into a chain with which to limit John's freedom.

"Teyla?" A new voice came through her headset.

"Dr. Weir."

"I trust there's going to be an explanation for all this later?"

Teyla hesitated. "Yes."

"Including the explosive device that Rodney tells me detonated off the side of one of the towers?" Elizabeth's tone of voice was dry.

"You detonated an explosive device?" John exclaimed.

"Lieutenant Cadman said it was a small one," Teyla said at the same time as Laura protested, "It was only small!"

John gave her a severe, narrow-eyed look of the kind he more usually reserved for Ronon or Rodney. It was Teyla's turn to look innocent.

"I'll expect a full explanation in the debrief," Elizabeth said, her inflections both amused and warning.

"Yes, Dr. Weir." That was one meeting with Elizabeth for which Teyla was not eager.

"Gngggh!" Ronon rolled over with a grunt that turned into a stream of pithy Satedan invective. Teyla caught a few turns of phrase and couldn't quite help her smile. It seemed she had annoyed him quite significantly.

It seemed that John caught a few turns of phrase as well, because he eyed Teyla. "Did Ronon just say what I thought he said?"

"If you think he cast insults upon my ancestry, then, I believe he did," Teyla replied, smiling, for all that the insults were dire under serious circumstances.

Ronon paused in his invective, and rolled over, managing to sit up on his haunches. "So you're not going to let me out of these?"

"Not until after moonrise," she replied, knowing that he knew he was a prisoner and would remain that way until the game finished. In the end, Ronon knew when he was beaten - or when to bide his time. He sat back, philosophical in the face of his defeat.

Teyla left Corporal Trujo to watch over him, then cut John's restraints from wrist and ankle.

John rubbed at his wrists, easing the slight welts from the plastic strips. "You know, he caught me by surprise."

This was familiar ground - exasperating, but familiar. Teyla hid her smile. "I know."

"I could have taken him."

"You could."

John regarded her suspiciously. "Are you humouring me?"

Teyla hesitated a moment, then said, quite deliberately, "I believe the answer to that is 'Yes.'" Her mouth twitched at his mock-scowl. "If you will excuse me, Colonel, it is not yet moonrise and there is still work to be done."

The attempt to locate Ronon's flag and laptop was ongoing, and she was leader of her team and should be involved. Teyla began to turn away, keying in the code for her own headset so she could speak with Laura and learn of Captain Kilmer's progress.

"Teyla?"

"John?"

"Uhh...Thanks. For the rescue, I mean."

Teyla glanced at Ronon, who was watching them with a smirk. John's gaze followed hers and Ronon's smirk deepened. "It was nothing," she said, turning to John and ignoring the other man.

As he turned, his face twitched with a peculiar expression - the one that appeared when he was taking something seriously and she was making light of it. "So...just part of the exercise."

"Yes."

"Well...thanks."

_Ah, John._ Mischief prompted her - that and his evident disappointment in her answer. Teyla patted his arm. "It was no trouble," she told him. "Me, Teyla; you, John."

Laura's snicker chuckled through the headset. Ronon let out an unrestrained guffaw. John gave her an exasperated look.

Teyla just smiled and returned to organising her team.

- **fin** -


End file.
